Demolishing the damaged Teen Center in Killington would be one-tenth as costly as renovating it. But the Sherburne Historical Society may seek to relocate the building.

KILLINGTON — Town officials are considering proposals to move or demolish the unused, flood-ravaged, one-time home of the Teen Center.

The small building, located on River Road near the Sherburne Memorial Library, sustained extensive damage during Tropical Storm Irene. The damage exposed previous problems with the foundation, said Town Manager Seth Webb.

The town has received estimates from both construction and demolition companies, with the former being much more expensive than the latter.

“Rehabilitation would run between $100,000 and $250,000, depending upon its use,” Webb said. “We received a quote from a demolition crew and it would cost $9,500 to demolish it and restore the site.”

The town has $10,000 left in flood insurance funds that must be spent before the end of the calendar year.

Problems with the building include rotted-out windows, a cracked footing and a stairway that is not up to code.

“To salvage the structure, we would need to dig a trench around the outside and patch the cracks in the foundation,” Webb said.

The town’s Parks and Recreation Department has expressed no interest in the building. Neither have teens for quite some time, Webb said.

“The three years I’ve been here, I haven’t seen it utilized,” he said.

The most recent event listed for the Teen Center dates from 2008 and there hasn’t been any activity on the group’s Myspace page in six years.

Margaret Mowle, president of the Sherburne Historical Society, has expressed interest in acquiring the building and moving it across the road to the property containing the library.

“We’re in the early stages right now of looking at what grants might be available and what the town might be willing to do,” she said. “Plus, there aren’t a lot of historical buildings in town.”

According to Mowle, the structure dates back to the 19th century and was originally a school located in West Bridgewater. Records are unclear regarding when, but at some time during the second half of the 20th century, the town bought the building for $10 and paid another $400 to move it from West Bridgewater to River Road.